Saudis Push Gene-Sequencing Research
Medical researchers around the world are embracing genetic-sequencing technologies. Among the most eager are scientists in Saudi Arabia, which is plagued with diseases that have genetic roots.

White House Set to Name Pentagon's No. 2
The Obama administration is planning to name Robert Work, a retired U.S. Marine and a former top Navy official, to serve as the deputy defense secretary, the No. 2 job at the Pentagon, a U.S. official said.

In a Holding State but Back on Stage
Dev Hynes, a producer who records under the name Blood Orange, is returning to New York after a fire destroyed his home to promote his critically applauded album, 'Cupid Deluxe.'

Colombia Fires Two Top Intelligence Officers
Colombia's government fired two top military intelligence officers Tuesday as it probes allegations the army illegally spied on the team negotiating a peace accord with the country's Marxist guerrillas.

A Wish List From Microsoft's Big Customers
Some of Microsoft's biggest customers are looking to new CEO Satya Nadella to make the software giant more friendly to mobile devices and Internet-hosted software in what is known as 'the cloud.'

Musical Moment for Television Star
The annual Drama League gala at the Pierre Hotel this week answered two questions: a) Can there ever be too much musical theater, and b) Can there ever be too much Neil Patrick Harris?

Ex-NSA Chief Details Snowden's Hiring at Agency, Booz Allen
Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked information about the agency's surveillance program, targeted Booz Allen Hamilton for employment because of its access to national security contracts, a company vice chairman said.

A Fashion Week for Everyone
Later this week, all eyes will be on the runways at Lincoln Center for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. But in the Flatiron District, a group of designers and fashion-types are setting up shop on their own.

Port Authority Funds PATH Link to Newark Airport
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will forge ahead with a $1.5 billion plan to connect its PATH train system to the rail station at Newark Liberty International Airport, officials said.

Bridge Panel Reviewing Few Records
A New Jersey legislative committee investigating closures of lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge received subpoenaed documents from four of the 20 entities from which it requested materials.

Former Director of NSA and Former White House Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell explains how Edward Snowden stole classified information from the NSA. He speaks at WSJ's CIO Network in San Diego, Calif.

Delay Sought in Evaluation of Teachers
New York state lawmakers pulled their support from a key part of new teacher evaluations, saying schools should get more time to implement tough new academic standards.

Televised Debate Is a First for Kabul
Afghanistan's five leading presidential candidates faced off Tuesday in the first televised debate of the historic race, showcasing the country's increasingly sophisticated approach to political campaigning.

Until the Tenants Come Home, World Trade Plays Host
Developer Larry Silverstein built 4 World Trade Center as a signal of downtown's recovery. And since it opened, the building has been hopping—with cocktail parties, fashion shows, movie shoots and unorthodox fundraisers.

A Look at the History of Melty Cheese
Food makers and restaurants are trying to perfect the melt to boost sales of cheese—and anything it melts on, which is pretty much anything. Here's a look at different iterations of cheese meant to be melted.

De Blasio Boycotts Parade, Says City Workers Can March
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he won't prohibit city workers from marching in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on Fifth Avenue. But he will sit the event out, in protest of the organizers' policy effectively banning gay groups.

New Jersey Recruit's Signing Day Has Colleges Seeing Stars
Jabrill Peppers, who has committed to play at Michigan in the fall, is the only five-star prospect in the area and considered New Jersey's top talent of the past decade.

Christie's Pulls Auction of Miró Art After Uproar
Christie's has withdrawn 85 artworks by Spanish surrealist Joan Miró from its auctions in London this week, after an uproar in Portugal over the government's move to sell the works in an attempt to cut its debt.

Mixed Verdict in SEC Suit Against Life Partners
Both sides declared victory after jurors delivered a mixed verdict on a civil lawsuit brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Life Partners Holdings Inc., a Texas seller of life-insurance investments.

Michigan Aims to Aid Shrinking Schools
Michigan's governor plans to propose new school funding from the state's nearly $1 billion surplus, including aid for districts struggling with enrollment declines amid competition from charter schools and other districts.

GOP Closing Money Gap in Senate Races
Vulnerable Senate Democrats have amassed sizable war chests to fend off their Republican challengers this fall, but several GOP rivals are closing the gap, new figures show.

As Opening Ceremony Nears, Sochi Looks Rough but Ready
In the most basic sense, Sochi is ready. Many of the competition venues are hosting pre-Olympic practices, and most of the hotels built for the Games are open.

West Wants U.N. to Press Syria on Aid Flow
Western powers started a new push for the United Nations to compel Syria's regime to allow humanitarian aid into besieged areas, but the top U.N. official in Damascus warned this might backfire.

Debt Investors Again Head to Safer Shores
Bond investors have been buying up ultrasafe debt and pulling back from higher-yielding bets in recent weeks, suggesting waning confidence that rates will rise.

Irish REITs Gain Interest
Private-equity firms dominated the buying of distressed commercial property in Ireland in the past year, but other investors can now participate in the market with the creation of the country's first real-estate investment trusts.

Good News and Bad in CBO Deficit Projections
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the deficit this year would fall to its lowest level since 2007, but it forecast sluggish growth later in the decade would hurt revenue and expand the federal debt faster than previously expected.

CD Yields are Mixed
The average yield on six-month 'jumbo' CDs remained unchanged at 0.15% from the week earlier, according to Bankrate.com. The yield on five-year jumbos, however, rose to 0.81% from 0.80% the week earlier.

A Loeb Hopes to Bank on His Name
Jamie Kempner, the scion of the Loeb banking family, is hoping to tap his generations-old network of contacts to build a merchant bank that will invest in deals as well as give merger advice.

Figure Skating in America: On Thin Ice
U.S. figure skaters are not expected to medal in the singles competitions in Sochi, which has led some observers to ask whether American figure skating is in decline.

Elance Taps Growing Demand for Freelancers
Is freelance the future? More and more corporate tasks are being farmed out to a global network of independent workers. Elance CEO Fabio Rosati has made it his business to help that happen.

Private Space Flights Stir Regulatory Debate
The nation's budding commercial space industry has sparked an intense debate over the extent to which the federal government should regulate private space flights for tourists and orbital-vehicle operations.

U.S. Point Man on Syria to Retire
The Obama administration's point man on Syria, Ambassador Robert Ford, has notified the State Department he plans to retire at the end of February, a senior U.S. official confirmed.

Congress Eases Standoff With White House Over Iran Sanctions
The Obama administration appeared to be prevailing in its effort to persuade lawmakers to give U.S. diplomacy with Iran a chance, but faced continued skepticism from senators at a hearing Tuesday.

Vegas Builder Hits the Jackpot
Three years ago, Josh Anderson bought 36 distressed lots near Las Vegas for an average of $90,000 each. A new home on one of those lots is about to hit the market with a price tag of $5 million.
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TPP Would 'Upgrade' U.S. Trade Pacts, Says U.S. Commerce Chief
U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said Tuesday that the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership would be an "upgrade" to older deals like the North American Trade Agreement.

Every Year Is Getting Shorter
By the 1800s, workers could afford to buy pocket watches; the eight-hour workday regimented their lives further. Elizabeth Lowry reviews Roman Krznaric's "How Should We Live?"

Violence Tests Brazil Ahead of World Cup
A wave of headline-grabbing violence in Brazil's two biggest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is reviving concerns about security during soccer's World Cup, which begins here in June.

Michael Kors to Expand in Menswear
Michael Kors Holdings posted a 77% jump in profit and said it plans to expand in men's clothing and accessories into a $1 billion business, a move that could further dent rival Coach.

Tech Sector Drives Demand in Dublin
Technology and financial-services companies are powering a growth spurt in Dublin's office market. Yahoo and Facebook are among the firms that have leased more space as part of expansion plans there.

Schmidt Gets $100 Million in Google Stock
Google has awarded $100 million in restricted stock to Executive Chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt, as well as a cash bonus of $6 million tied to the search giant's 2013 performance.

U.S. Oil Prices Climb
U.S. oil prices pushed higher as traders bet that the opening of a new pipeline would begin to drain crude stockpiles at a key storage hub, while another cold spell is expected to further tighten heating-oil supplies.

Fed Nomination Hearings May Be Held by End of February
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will likely hold a hearing for three Federal Reserve Board nominees in the last week of February, a Senate aide said.

Treasury Bonds Pull Back After Rally
Investors cashed some chips out of the safe-harbor U.S. Treasury bond market after Monday's strong price rally, taking comfort in signs of stabilization in emerging-market assets.

A Son's Tribute to the Beatles
On Thursday, the Morrison Hotel Gallery on Prince Street in SoHo will open a photography show celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to the U.S. Julian Lennon curated the exhibit.

Bid to End Ukraine Crisis Stumbles
Prospects for ending Ukraine's political crisis looked dim, as the president's allies and critics couldn't agree on moves toward creating a coalition government before meetings with a top European official.

Gilead Results Rise on Improved Product Sales
Sales of Gilead's new treatment for hepatitis C infections totaled $139.4 million in the final weeks of 2013, after only winning FDA approval in early December.

Stocks Bounce Back
Stocks rose Tuesday as investors breathed a sigh of relief following the biggest one-day drop in more than six months, but traders remained cautious as global-growth concerns lingered.

U.S. Treasury Takes Step to Avoid Breaching Debt Limit
The U.S. Treasury took a first step Tuesday to avoid breaching the government's debt ceiling once the suspension of the borrowing limit is lifted Friday.

NBC's New Torchbearer in Sochi
Veteran producer Jim Bell is running NBC's coverage of the Sochi Olympics, the first time the network will broadcast the games without the expertise of longtime sports executive Dick Ebersol.

Take a Number: Are the Jets the Next Seahawks?
Here's a by-the-numbers comparison of the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seahawks' defense—which Jets general manager John Idzik helped build—and Idzik's 2013 Jets defense.

'Twas More Than the North Could Do
The Confederacy would and did accept whatever terms were offered in 1865, but what about later? Did the Union have enough troops to enforce the "moment of possibility"?

A 'Paper' in Your Phone: How Facebook's News App Delivers
Facebook Paper and Flipboard's upgraded app both aim to give you the smartphone equivalent of a newspaper, but do they give you the news really you want? Geoffrey Fowler puts the apps to the test.

The GOP Should Be Wary of An Immigration 'Breakout'
With ObamaCare sucking the oxygen out of the political atmosphere and weighing down Democrats nationwide, Republicans would be making a move of colossally idiotic proportions to hand the president a substantial legislative victory to change the subject.

Thai Opposition Seeks to Nullify Elections
Embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra confronted a new legal challenge to nullify weekend elections, while a scrapped rice deal dealt a blow to her efforts to stabilize eroding support from farmers.

Threats to Drinking Supplies Aren't Documented
In the wake of the West Virginia chemical spill, interviews with water-quality and security experts show there are wide disparities in how well U.S. drinking-water supplies are monitored.

Recruiting Fraud Cost Military Millions
More than 1,200 people, including a major general and 29 colonels, may have been involved in a nationwide scheme to defraud a U.S. military recruitment program of at least $29 million before it was shut down in 2012.

Emerging Markets Play an Unsettling Tune
Current Account: The market volatility buffeting investors is being driven by a shift in capital flows that will shape the investment landscape for a world without substantial central-bank stimulus, writes Francesco Guerrera.

GM Makes More Executive Changes
General Motors said two board directors plan to depart later this year, and the car maker appointed two vice presidents to oversee sales of its Chevrolet and Buick brands in the U.S.

London Braces for 48-Hour Subway Strike
London braced for a 48-hour strike by subway workers starting Tuesday evening which threatens to cause significant travel disruption for millions of commuters and tourists.

Chrysler's Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Earns 28-mpg Rating
Chrysler said its new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel truck has earned an EPA-estimated rating of 28 miles a gallon in highway driving, setting a new bar in the full-size truck industry's fuel-economy wars.

Officials Press for Quicker Action on Fannie, Freddie
Current and former White House officials are warning that the window to effectively overhaul Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could close if legislation isn't in play before the midterm elections.

Target Data Breach Went on Longer Than Thought
Target's chief financial officer told Congress that software on another 25 checkout machines continued to steal payment-card data three days after the discounter had said the malware was removed.

Conservative Group to Oppose VW Vote
A conservative activist group is preparing to weigh in on the looming union vote at Volkswagen AG's Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, in a bid to stop the United Auto Workers from organizing the factory.

U.S. Envoy to Russia to Quit
The U.S. ambassador to Russia, the architect of the Obama administration's 'reset' policy with the Kremlin, announced that he is stepping down after two rocky years on the job.

Wal-Mart to Expand in Canada
Wal-Mart's Canadian unit will invest nearly C$500 million in its operations over the next year, adding new supercenter locations, expanding its distribution network and bolstering its online shopping operations.

Martoma Jury Begins Deliberations
A jury began deliberating the fate of Mathew Martoma, the former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager accused of what prosecutors called one of the most lucrative insider-trading schemes ever.

From Inventor's Estate to Busy Bed and Breakfast
This 19th century estate in Little Falls was once home to a prominent inventor—after a substantial renovation, is now a popular bed and breakfast, with over a dozen weddings booked for 2014.

Volkswagen Might Raise Scania Stake
Volkswagen is considering adding to its majority stake in Scania to cement its grip on the Swedish truck maker and to gain greater cost savings with its MAN heavy-duty truck business, which VW also controls.

Voices: Shari Burns, on Engaging Both Partners in Client-Adviser Relationship
'It is important to have a process that gets both partners actively participating in the decisions that will affect their financial life.'

Australia Central Bank Signals End to Cuts
The Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates steady but appeared to close off the likelihood of future interest-rate cuts as consumer prices rise more strongly than anticipated.

Voices: Mark Hurley, on What Creates Value in an Advisory Firm
'The great thing about wealth managers is that, when their firms are structured correctly, they collect recurring fees from their clients for decades.'

Real-Estate Startup Jumps on Bitcoin Train
RealtyShares, a San Francisco startup that operates a crowdfunding marketplace connecting property owners with prospective investors, will be one of the first real-estate investment platforms to accept bitcoin.

New Delhi Local Government
Takes On Power Distributors
Following through on a campaign pledge, the new party running New Delhi's government is seeking to suspend the licenses of two private companies that supply electricity to the capital.

Swiss Investment Fund Acron Wants to Expand Footprint in Brazil
Swiss real-estate investment firm Acron AG is looking to expand in Brazil having landed its first deal with the acquisition of the landmark Hotel Gloria in Rio de Janeiro.

BP Must Stay on Target
BP still reckons it can generate $30 billion to $31 billion in cash this year. That goal looks finely balanced—and the U.K. oil and gas company also has longer-term questions to answer.

Stock Selloff Belatedly Reaches Asia
The global market selloff intensified in Asia this week, belatedly sending Hong Kong and Tokyo, two of the region's biggest markets, into corrections and raising worries among investors that the selling will beget more selling.

Mining Strikes, Price Woes Put South Africa in a Hole
Reeling from worker strikes and falling commodity prices, South Africa is facing fresh challenges in drawing investors to its resource-rich economy.

Advisers Tap Security Firms to Shield Wealthy Clients
Advisers who work to ensure the financial well-being of the very rich are being called on more often these days to help deal with a more fundamental concern--personal security.

Mixed Verdict Returned in SEC Case Against Life Partners
Life Partners Holdings, a Texas company that sold fractional life-insurance investments to nearly 30,000 people, was found liable for revenue-recognition fraud and several other allegations filed by federal regulators in a civil lawsuit, but the federal jury found for the defense on more sweeping fraud claims involving the company's underlying business practices, according to an attorney for the company.

Rivals Flock to Sway VW Worker Vote
A battle over whether a major auto maker in the U.S. South would become a union foothold heated up on Tuesday as Volkswagen gave the United Auto Workers union access to its Chattanooga, Tenn., factory.

Clorox's Profit Slides on Flat Sales
Clorox said its fiscal second-quarter earnings slid 6.5% on narrower margins and flat sales, as weakness in its household and lifestyle segments offset some growth in its international and cleaning businesses.

Lufthansa Union Ballots Members for Strike
The union representing pilots at Lufthansa has mailed ballots to its members asking them to vote whether to strike over issues including retirement benefits and a long-standing pay dispute.

Global Weakness Threatens Japan Recovery
The sharp drop in the Japanese stock market underscores a big vulnerability of the "Abenomics" recovery: weakness in overseas economies may undermine the success of measures to jump-start growth at home.

Toyota Expects Record Net Profit
Toyota said that solid vehicle sales and a steeply weaker yen pushed its net profit up more than fivefold in the latest quarter, prompting the world's biggest auto maker to forecast a record profit for the full fiscal year.

The 10-Point: Gerard Baker on Market Weakness, an Unlikely Drug Research Team, Hospital Designs, and More
A personal, guided tour to the best scoops and stories every day in The Wall Street Journal, from Editor in Chief Gerard Baker.

Becton Dickinson Profit Squeezed but Tops Views
Becton Dickinson's first-quarter profit was squeezed by higher costs, but the medical-device maker said it saw a better outlook for the full year as it reported strong revenue growth in all segments.

G-20 Inflation Rate Falls
The rise in consumer prices slowed across the world's largest economies in December, fueling concerns that too little inflation, rather than too much, could threaten the global economy's fragile recovery.

Romania Central Bank Cuts Again
Romania's central bank cut its key rate by a quarter point to a new low of 3.5%, resisting an emerging markets selloff that has prompted some countries to raise borrowing costs.

Early in the year, congressional Democrats tapped donors for a fast fundraising start ahead of the midterm elections. However, as Jerry Seib explains, the party still faces significant challenges in dealing with the president's sinking poll numbers.

Hitachi Predicts Record Results
Hitachi expects to generate its biggest annual operating profit to date, smashing a two-decade-old record, thanks to the weaker yen and a comeback in demand for automotive parts and systems.

Copenhagen Airport Launches New Expansion Plan
Denmark's Copenhagen Airport is launching a new expansion plan that it hopes will almost double its passenger numbers in coming years as it strives to keep up with rival hubs across Northern Europe.

KPN to Cut Up to 2,000 Jobs
KPN said it will cut up to 2,000 jobs following the completion of its restructuring program, as the Dutch telecommunications company posted a widened fourth-quarter net loss.

Suu Kyi's Political Fate in Hands of Opponent's Reform Panel
The likely challenger to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the Myanmar presidency appointed a committee that will play a crucial role in determining whether the she will be allowed to run for the office.

Euro-Zone Producer Prices Rise
Prices of goods leaving the factory gates rose for the first time in three months, a development that should slightly ease fears that too little inflation could threaten the fragile recovery in Europe.

As TVs Lose Luster, Panasonic Pushes Lower-Key Products
Panasonic Corp. saw a double-digit rise in profits for the third quarter, as stellar growth in a string of lesser-known niche businesses offset the decline of its vaunted television business.

Rise in Spain Jobless Claims Slows
Spanish jobless claims rose in January from December at the slowest pace of any month of January since 2007, the latest sign of improvement in the country's battered labor market.

Lotte Shopping $1 Billion IPO Gets Approval
South Korea's biggest shopping mall owner has been given the go-ahead to list some mall assets in the city-state. The IPO would be South Korea's biggest overseas offering.